A dying Falklands War veteran is taking on the Argentine government to get recognition for soldiers he once fought.
Edward Denmark was just 22 when he was in the conflict that claimed the lives of more than 900 people.
Now 58, the dad-of-two has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a terminal form of blood cancer, which led him to get in touch with former enemy soldiers.
Edward said: “I slowly got to know a guy called Julio Herrera Vidal and he began to tell me that he was on the Argentine mainland and they haven’t been recognised – they get nothing whatsoever.”
The retired serviceman was horrified to discover that while those who served on the Islands are supported, many of the veterans who fought on the Argentinian mainland are living in a state of abject poverty.
He continued: “They are living like dogs.
“One guy is living in a tiny brick single-room building water running down the walls, sleeping on a filthy mattress with a little burner and a candle - and that’s his life.
“And when you think that these guys were fighting for their country.
“They don’t get healthcare, they don’t get a pension ... it’s not about pinning medals on chests.”
Edward, from Moreton, was a Rapier Missile Operator with T-Battery, and was responsible for shooting down enemy jets during the short-lived conflict.
The Falklands war began on Friday, April 2, 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands.
The British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands.
Argentina surrendered on 14 June 1982, returning the islands to British control.
Edward has written a letter to the Argentine government asking for them to support their veterans, he has also recorded a video message.
He continued: “I want to go down there, but I’m not well enough at the moment - and getting the insurance, and making sure I could be brought back if I was too ill.
“But my whole aim is to get these guys recognised and sorted out, before any more go to their graves.”
Edward continued: “The British Troops who were on Ascension Island all got medals – and in 2014, David Cameron extended the criteria further so troops who went down after we’d come home, to clear up, got the same medal as us.
“I’m not taking anything away from them, I’m not bothered who gets a medal, but you consider these guys were back here watching the war on the TV and got the same medals as us.
“Now, they’re 8,000 miles away, and the Argentinians on the mainland were less than 400 miles away. They were arming the aircraft, repairing the aircraft, the bombs that were dropped on us, the bullets fired - these guys’ finger prints were on them, that’s how close they were.”
After 10 years service, including tours in Northern Ireland, Edward retired due to injury.
The grandfather-of-three has since written two books, the first about his experiences in the Falklands and Northern Ireland, and the second about his childhood in Moreton.
He said: “I’d had no education because I hadn’t been to school because of my mum’s drinking, I could see which way it was going to go - lads stealing cars and getting in to drugs, so I thought the best thing I could do was join the army for three years, get away and reassess - see a bit of the world, possibly get some education, which I did, and then go from there.
“The training was brutal, they battered you for the slightest thing. There was bullying, fighting ... it was a hard regime to train in, and then you go to your regiments.
“I didn’t for one second think there would be a war because there was nothing happening back then.”
A group of thousands of Argentinian ex-soldiers have now come together to raise money for Edward to visit Argentina and confront the government.
Argentinian ex-soldier Julio Herrera Vidal, VGM, said “I have so many friends living like dogs in the street.
“We have been forgotten by state and country. I was lucky I was born in a middle class family but thousands were not. Injustice is our middle name. This injustice has gone on for 37 years and many have died in bad conditions without being recognised.”
Edward continued: “This isn’t anything about war or the military, it’s about the morals of recognising men for what they have done.
“I want to make the people who have their ears closed, open them and listen to what they are doing - and let Argentina rectify this injustice.”
